Gala Fairydean Rovers 1

Formartine Utd 2

David Knox

at Netherdale

GALA’S inability to produce their best form on their own 3G pitch cost them on Saturday as they crashed out of the Scottish Cup.

Following two excellent performances on the road to Hampden – to dispose of Dalbeattie Star in the first round and earn a replay with Highland League contenders Formartine in Aberdeenshire – they couldn’t summon up a similar display on the sticky artificial surface at Netherdale.

Home form has been a persistent problem for manager Neil Hastings since he arrived in Galashiels.

And more and more of the Fairydean Rovers faithful are beginning to question the suitability of the eight-year-old artificial pitch.

Whatever the reasons for playing better on the road this season, Gala still fought all the way against the strong Highland League side on Saturday with only a finger-tip save from Kevin Main preventing Phil Addison taking the tie into extra time.

Hastings was quick to praise the effort of his team following the defeat. He said: “You can’t take anything away from the boys, they worked hard from the first minute to the last.

“Formartine are a good team, very well organised and they have a lot of experienced players.

“On another day we could maybe have got something from the game as we did have a few good chances, but let’s not take anything away from Formartine - they certainly played to their strengths.”

After an encouraging start by the home team, forcing a couple of early corners, it was the visitors who almost edged in front as Garry Wood’s looping header floated inches over the bar.

The former Ross County striker also tested Fraser Morton with another header on the quarter hour.

Formartine were finding it too easy to engineer crosses - something that led to Gala's eventual downfall.

Although the home were struggling to find fluency in the middle of the park they still created the best chances of the opening half.

Danny Galbraith surged from half-way to rifle a shot at Main.

And just a couple of minutes later the industrious Zander Murray forced another good save from a tight angle, before blasting the rebound into the side netting.

The aerial threat of Wood, though, kept both Lewis Grant and Ben Herdman on their toes.

But, despite Formartine commanding plenty possession Morton didn’t have all that much to do before the interval.

And only a finger-tip save at the other end prevented Gala edging in front on 38 minutes as Murray’s cut back was blasted towards the top corner by Nial Kelly.

Formartine kept the home defence pegged back during the opening exchanges of the second half and Michael Clark should have done better when he fired over Morton’s bar from 12 yards out.

The visitors did make the breakthrough just before the hour and it came from another cross.

Wood held off two challenges to turn and slam the ball high into the net from close range.

The goal sparked Gala into their best spell of the match with Scott Taylor Mackenzie smashing a freekick a foot wide.

And a short time later, in the 67th minute, Jacob Campbell expertly chested down Levi Kinchant’s deep angled cross before blasting a low shot beyond Main.

Suddenly the third round seemed a possibility.

But Gala couldn’t maintain the momentum and it was only six minutes later that Craig McKeown found enough room inside the area to head home a cross from 10 yards out.

Again the home team stormed back to force several corners, but the closest they came to taking the tie into an additional half hour was Addison’s 20-yards strike that was pushed round the post.

Gala FR. F Morton, L Kinchant, A Chingwalu, L Grant, B Herdman, S T Mackenzie, M Berry (P Addison 67), N Kelly (R Mayer 60), A Murray, D Galbraith & J Campbell (R Aitchison 84).